Innovative Biophysical Approaches for Quercetin Extraction from Plant Cells

The method for the extraction of quercetin from plant cells with the use of ultrasound in combination with metastable fraction from aqueous solution is proposed. The procedure enabled more efficient isolation of the cytoplasmic part due to etching and/or mechanical destruction of the cell membrane. The oxidized water fraction has the most pronounced extracting properties, but changes the properties of quercetin by oxidizing the chromophore part of the molecule. According to the criterion of pigment preservation, the best extraction solution is the reduced water fraction. To analyze the extract samples the following analytical methods were used: UV-Vis spectrometry, protein gel electrophoresis, 1H-NMR spectrometry, and QCM weighing, as well as scanning electron microscopy.